


I say no

by Adrenaline_Roulette



Category: Until Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: Bitchiness, Bitchy, Dark Past, F/M, I'm never good at tagging these things i'm sorry, Making Friends, New School, Pre until dawn, Skipping School, and as more happens, before the game, but after the twins disapearance, i'll add more as the chapters progress, media, media class, murder forest?, plotting revenge, seeking justice
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-02
Updated: 2020-05-17
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:21:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22987045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adrenaline_Roulette/pseuds/Adrenaline_Roulette
Summary: Set after Hannah and Beth's disappearance, but before the return to the mountain.Straining your ears, you tried your best to pick up on what some of the surrounding people were talking about, though you were only able to pick up bits and pieces.“Washington sisters…”“-Police didn’t find any trace.”“Think Josh will come back?”“Hannah and Mike got cosy….”
Relationships: Emily Davis & Mike Munroe, Josh Washington/Reader
Comments: 4
Kudos: 21





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! So this is my first time writing for Josh, and the Until Dawn fandom. I'm not sure if many people will be interested in this, but I've been listening to I say no from the Heather's musical on repeat, and have come up with the idea of a multi chapter fic set to the song!  
> First chapter, as always is basically just setting the scene and introducing the main character, things will become interesting as of chapter two I promise!

Being the new kid in school is never an easy thing, starting part way through the term though? That only makes things worse. You want to say that it isn’t your fault that you had to change schools, truly you do. But unfortunately, that would just be a lie. There was no one else you could blame, not really. It was your choices which had lead you to being expelled, no one had forced you to do what you did, this was all on you.  
Starting part way through the term meant you hadn’t been given the chance to select your own classes, and instead, had been thrown into anything that had a free space. Which was how you had ended up here, sitting in a computer lab surrounded by media students, with you not knowing the first thing about film production.

The class consisted of roughly thirty students, all of whom had broken off into either partners or small groups, gossiping about what they had gotten up to during their mid-winter break. You sat alone, scribbling todays date at the top of your notebook, as you absently swivelled in your chair. Straining your ears, you tried your best to pick up on what some of the surrounding people were talking about, though you were only able to pick up bits and pieces.  
“Washington sisters…”  
“-Police didn’t find any trace.”  
“Think Josh will come back?”  
“Hannah and Mike got cosy….”

None of the names being thrown around meant anything to you, but clearly whatever had occurred was the talk of the school. You felt almost left out, a part of you wishing you had been here at least a few months longer, that way you may at least know the people who were being discussed.  
“That’s enough, settle down everyone!” A female voice calls from the front of the classroom, causing silence to fall over the entire class.  
“Welcome back class, I hope you all enjoyed your winter break….”  
As the woman, who you now assume to be the teacher continues with her welcome, you take the chance to look her over. Dark brunette hair had been sculpted into a high bun atop her head, the hairs having been pulled so tightly away from her face, she almost appeared bald at first glance. A bright smear of fuchsia coated her lips, and you have to give her credit for that, it was a bold colour choice for a woman bordering on sixty…  
She wore a knee length, blue 1950’s style skirt with pale pink roses dotted around the edge, completing the look with a white turtle neck sweater. All in all it was an, interesting outfit to say the least.  
“Now, we have a new student starting with us today, Y/N Y/L/N please make yourself known to the class.”

Fuck, you knew this part was coming, but that didn’t make you dread it any less. Fighting back the groan which danced on the tip of your tongue, you pushed yourself up from your chair, raising your hand partially. “Hi.”

“Hello Y/N, I’m Mrs Hill. Welcome to our school.” Your teachers smile is all teeth, and you respond with a soft head nod, not wanting to be stood any longer than necessary.  
Mrs Hill returns to the board at the front of the classroom, marking the end of her greeting towards you. A breath slips out as you collapse back in your chair, causing a few sets of eyes to turn your way.

You’re perhaps ten minutes through class and had already zoned out, doodling tiny patterns in the margin of your page, when the door swings open and a young man enters, his bag slung over his shoulder, and a look of unease gracing his features. “Ah, Josh. Thank you for joining us, please take a seat.”

The man, Josh, looks about ready to argue with Mrs Hill, but quickly loses all fight when he catches sight of the blonde man sitting one seat away from you. The blonde was shaking his head no, while mouthing something to Josh. You couldn’t make out what he was saying, but whatever it was, it was enough to get Josh to stalk across the class and take his seat.  
You had chosen to sit at the back of the class in the corner, while the blonde man had sat nearby, leaving one seat free between you. Josh rolls the spare seat away from the desk, dumping his bag and flopping down ungracefully. He turns in his seat, looking over his shoulder at you, and lifting one brow, before his attention is drawn back to Mrs Hill.

*****

Two weeks down, and god knows how many to go.  
You had successfully done the bare minimum in all of your classes so far, much to your teachers’ disapproval. The only class which you put any effort into was media, surprisingly. Whether that was because you actually enjoyed the subject, or because Josh and the blonde man who sat next to him, Chris, were both willing to help you out, and include you in their groups, was still up for debate.  
“Hey, hey Y/N, wait up!” A familiar voice calls to you from the opposite end of the corridor, you turn to see Chris bounding down towards you, the man reminding you of an over excited Labrador.

“Hey, what’s up Chris?” You smile, zipping your bag closed, after swapping your books from your previous class out for the books needed for the next.

“I wanted to see if you had anything planned for lunch today?”

You regard him with raised brows, thinking back to what you had packed for your lunch. “Um, nothing special. Just the usual ham and cheese sandwich….”

“What? Oh, no that’s not what I meant! I wanted to see if you’d like to have lunch with me and Josh, and the rest of the gang? If you don’t have other plans that is?”

“Oh, um yeah? Yeah, that sounds really nice thanks.” You grin, before following Chris down the corridor, where he leads you into an empty classroom. “Right, is this the part where you murder me?” You chuckle, though you quickly stop as you notice a look of hurt flash through his eyes.

Chris drags his fingers through his already messy hair, an uneasy smile forming over his lips. “Haha, no. Um this is one of the perks of being mates with the class president.” He shrugs, flicking the light switch on, and illuminating the room.

“The class president? That’s Mike yeah?” You ask, expecting Chris to answer, instead you’re met with an unfamiliar voice in response.

“At your service, and you are?” The man in question bows, extending a hand to you with a cocky grin.

“Y/N. Nice to meet you.” You grin, fighting against the eyeroll which threatened to overcome you. It wouldn’t do to go rolling your eyes at the class president, that would be a great way to make him dislike you!

“So tell me Y/N, how is it you know who I am, yet I don’t know you?”

You shrug, resting your hands in the back pockets of your jeans. “The girl who showed me around on my first day pointed you out in the corridor. She said she would’ve introduced us, but didn’t want to interrupt your game of tonsil hockey.” Your lips quirk at the corner as you finish.

“This tour guide you had, was she about this tall, blonde hair, hazel eyes, and covered in paint splatters?” Chris laughs, his eyes now shining with mirth.

You nod, looking between the two men. “Sounds like something our Sammy would say. She’ll be along soon, and I’m sure Mike will want to have a couple of words with her about introducing him in such a way.”

As if on cue, the door swings open again, this time with Sam walking in, followed closely by Josh, then a blonde woman and brunette woman you didn’t recognise. “Y/N, hey it’s great to see you again!” Sam waves, as Josh makes his way over to you, leaning against a desk near you.

“You remember my name?” You blink in surprise at Sam, who simply grins in reply.

“Of course I remember your name, we don’t get many new students here.”

“Don’t bullshit Sam, we get plenty of new students here.” The brunette smirks, flipping her hair behind her ear as she sidles up to Mike.

The second blonde giggles, a tinkling sound which you imagine would get tiresome rather quickly. “It’s just not everyday we get a new student who burnt down their last school’s science labs….”

You bite your bottom lip, a frown creasing your features as you cast your gaze towards the ground. Slowly, you nod your head, blinking away the stinging tears which clawed at your eyes. “Right, thanks for that. This has been great guys, but I’ve got my own personal demons who can talk to me like this, I don’t think I need to hear it twice.” You mutter, pushing away from the desk and starting across the room.

“That’s great Jess, really, just perfect.” You hear Josh growl, and you notice the blonde shrink away under his harsh glare.

“Em, that wasn’t fair. And Jess, pull your fucking head in.” Chris grumbles.

You move towards the door pushing your way through, paying no attention to the two people you barge past who had been trying to enter the room. “Everything alright-” You don’t stick around to hear the rest of what the new voice had to say. You didn’t need this, all you had to do was get through the rest of this year, and then next year and finally you would be finished with school. Fuck friends, who even needs them anyways?

You storm into the bathroom, slamming the stall door closed behind you, and making sure to lock it, before sitting down on the toilet lid, doubling over and resting your forearms over your knees, then pressing your forehead against them.  
After a few minutes there’s a faint knock on the bathroom door, which you find odd, it was a public bathroom, why would anybody bother knocking?  
“Y/N, its me… Can I come in?” That was Sam, you would recognise her voice anywhere. You’re half tempted to tell her to bugger off, but she hadn’t done anything wrong, if anything she had been trying to keep the peace.

“Yeah.” You call back, the only response being that of the bathroom door creaking open. You can hear male voices just outside, but you pay them little mind, putting it down to students passing by as Sam entered.

The silence which fills the tiled room is tangible, and a part of you almost thinks Sam had never even bothered to come inside. “I’m sorry about Jess and Emily. They’re, well I don’t even know how to describe them really. Neither of them have a filter though, I guess that’s a start… They’re dealing with something at the moment, we all kinda are, but they don’t seem to know how to vice those feelings…. I don’t know if anything that I’m saying is making any sense. But just know that I’m sorry.”

You watch Sam’s feet pace back and forth in front of the stall door, occasionally pausing as if she were about to settle, then picking up their walk once again. Leaning forward, you unlock the door, allowing it to swing inwards. “I did it.”

Sam pauses, locking eyes with you and tilting her head to the side. “Did what?”

“I burnt down the science labs. Nearly got a teacher killed in the process….”

Sam nods, averting her eyes for a few seconds. “Yeah, I know. I was told before taking you around school, the admin staff wanted me to know that apparently you could be, how they said, unstable…”

Your head perks up at this, and you wipe away one of the few tears which had slipped free. “They said I was unstable?”

Sam nods once again, though this time remains silent. “I’m not though! It was something that happened, but I’m getting the help I need!”

“Hey, it’s okay! I never thought you were!” Sam moves into the stall, resting a hand over your shoulder rubbing her thumb in gentle circles there. “During winter break, we did something terrible… At least, I think we did. If anyone found out what we did, they would call me unstable too.”

“Wh-What did you do?” You stammer out, blinking up at the smiling woman. She looked far to innocent to have done anything worth being labelled unstable over.

Sam shakes her head no, the smile falling for a moment. “Not now, I’ll tell you some other time. For now, lets get you cleaned up, and ready for class.”

You take her outstretched hand, and feel yourself be pulled into a standing position, allowing Sam to lead you over to the sinks, where she wets some paper towel, and dabs it under your eyes, clearing them of your smudged makeup. “There we go, good as new!” She grins, balling up the paper and throwing it into the bin. “Ready to head back out?”

“No, but I don’t have much of a choice, do I?” You shrug, following Sam to the door, her hand resting on the handle.

“I’ll talk to Jess and Emily, see if I can get them to apologise…”

“No, I don’t want a forced apology. I’d be happy with them to just not bring my past up again.”

“Easy done.” Sam pulls the door open, and you both march back into the world of school life, the corridors were beginning to fill with students once more, and you could only assume classes would be starting shortly.  
Chris and Josh had made themselves comfortable on the ground, backs pressed up against the wall as the spoke animatedly about something.

Josh is the first to see the both of and leaps to his feet, grinning mostly at you. “Hey, sorry about the girls back there… They can be a bit bitchy sometimes.” He gestures over his shoulder with his thumb, back to the classroom you had all left.

“It’s fine, I know how girls can be sometimes.” You shrug, turning to smile softly at Sam, before returning you attention to Josh.

Sam watches Chris from the corner of her eye as he struggles to stand up, rolling her eyes as it takes him three attempts. “Come on you big oaf, we’ve gotta get to History.” She grins, taking a few steps backwards down the corridor.

Chris seems reluctant to leave, but does so anyways, passing you one final smile before leaving with Sam.  
“Right, class. That’s a thing isn’t it?”

Josh smirks, wrapping one arm around your shoulders and leading you through the mass of students. “Mhm, it is a thing. But no one said it was a mandatory thing…”

You turn your head to look up at Josh, who had his eyes locked dead a head, his sight set on the front doors. “Last I heard, school in fact was mandatory.”

“I’ve been given special privileges due to, external circumstances. We’ll just say I needed you for support?”

“Fine, where are we going then Josh?”


	2. Chapter One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone,   
> I am so very sorry it has taken me this long to get chapter two posted. To say life has been hectic would be an understatement! But I'm back now, brand new chapter in hand. And Will hopefully be able to update more consistently too!  
> As always,  
> Peace and Love everyone ❤❤❤

Not a single person bats an eye at the two of you as you stroll out of the school. No students racing to tell a teacher that you were leaving, and no teachers questioning you as to where you were going. It was easy, almost too easy. At your old school, even before the incident occurred, you were watched like a hawk, unable to make any moves out of the ordinary without someone asking what the hell you were doing.   
Walking with Josh though, people parted like the red sea as you approached, almost as if no one wanted to be in the same vicinity as him.   
You were aware that something with Josh’s family had occurred in recent months, the exact details of what exactly, you were fuzzy on. Though hearing Josh mention that he had ‘Special Privileges’, only added to your overall curiosity over what you had dubbed the, Washington Mystery.

For a solid ten minutes, Josh kept his arm wrapped around your shoulder, either for your comfort or his, at this point you couldn’t quite tell. All you knew, was that the moment he slipped his arm away, you instantly felt cold. “Ladies first.” He grins, bowing low and gesturing one arm towards the forest green jeep you now stood beside.

You blink in surprise, cocking your head to one side as you take in the dirty car. It had a few scratches along the sides, and the tyres were covered in mud from the recent rain. Aside from that, the car itself was in excellent condition, and almost seemed too nice to be sitting in the student parking lot. “Is this your car, or are we about to become felons?” You smirk, turning your full attention to the man beside you.

“Hey, you’re already a felon. If anything, _I_ should be worried about _you_ corrupting _me,_ not the other way round!” He’s laughing, and you find yourself chuckling along with him too. For the first time, finding humour in the awful events which had lead you here.

“Just don’t follow me to the science labs, and we should be good.” You tease, nudging your shoulder against his playfully. It was odd, you had gone from crying over people bringing up your past only a few minutes ago, and now you were laughing about it. Perhaps it was because somehow, you just knew that Josh understood what you were going through?

The rattling of keys pulls you out of your thoughts, blinking twice you focus back on Josh who was now dangling a set of car keys in front of you. “Don’t stress, it’s my car.” He grins, twirling the keyring around his index finger three times, before clasping his fingers around the keys, and pinning them to his palm.

Reaching out, you grab the door handle and tug it open, climbing up and into the Jeep and settling into the black leather passenger seat. Josh darts around to the opposite side, slamming the door behind him, as he twists the key in the ignition. “Damn, this shit is fancy.” You breathe lowly, running your hand along the dashboard. Josh chuckles beside you, putting the car in reverse, and getting you both out of the parking lot. “What’s so funny?”

He shakes his head, short curls bouncing gently against his forehead. “You!” He grins, locking his green eyes on you for a moment, before returning his attention to the road ahead. “I’d almost think you’ve never seen a Jeep before.”

You roll your eyes, turning to look out of the window, watching the unfamiliar scenery pass you by. “That’s not true. I’ve seen plenty of Jeeps before. I’m just not used to seeing one in student parking is all.” You shrug.

“Nah, that’s fair. The only reason I have it, is so I can drive off road when heading to the family lodge.” Josh flicks on the indicator, and makes a left turn, taking you away from the main road, and into an area you don’t recognise.

“Oh la-di-da, the family lodge eh?” You giggle, rolling your head to the side to look at him now, a bemused expression on his lips too.

“Ha, yeah. Washington Lodge, up on Blackwood Mountain.”

You stare at him blankly, eyes blinking slowly as you wait for an explanation which never comes. You’ve been in town for nearly a month, and this was the first you were hearing about the Washington Lodge and Blackwood Mountain. “Am I supposed to know where that is?” You finally ask, once you realise Josh isn’t going to provide any more information unprompted.

“Sorry, I forget you’re new here. Everyone else knows the area, hell most people have been to the Lodge as it is. Or at least, most of Hannah and Beth’s classmates.” He sighs, a frown creasing his brows tightly, just as his knuckles grip the steering wheel more firmly.

“Hey, sorry I didn’t mean to pry. Uh, where are we go-” You begin, hoping to change the subject before you can say anything else which may upset Josh.

“No, it’s fine. Um, Blackwood Mountain is about two hours from here. My family built a lodge up there a few years ago, and there’s a small cabin too. We used to have end of year parties there, and just parties to celebrate everything we could. One year Sam hosted a Halloween party, now _that_ was fun.”

You watch as Josh’s grip relaxes slightly, though he keeps both hands planted firmly on the wheel, and shows no signs of letting go. “That sounds great!” You offer with likely an over exaggerated smile.

He nods slowly. “Yeah, it was. Not sure when we’ll be able to go back, or if I even want to.”

You want to ask further questions, but bite your tongue from doing so. You had heard enough of the rumours circling school, to know better than press for answers you’re not entirely sure you want. The silence which fills the Jeep is both uncomfortable, yet welcoming at the same time, both you and Josh seemingly lost in your own thoughts for the time being.   
Leaning forwards, you fiddle with the dials on the stereo, pressing buttons at random until music flows through the speakers. “Let’s see what Mr Josh Washington listens to shall we?” You smirk, turning the dial up, so the volume increases. What plays, leaves you utterly surprised.

_“The disappearance of Kate Lane has haunted her home town for over twenty years now. Her family are desperate for answers, and to find out who has their daughter. But so far, police have been unable to find any trace of the missing twenty year old….”_

Leaping forwards, you turn the volume dial down, pupils blown wide as you turn to stare at Josh, who has returned to gripping the steering wheel for dear life. “You listen to unsolved cases podcasts?”

Josh’s lips are drawn into a straight, thin line, as his eyes stare unblinking ahead at the road. The dense forest which you had been driving through, was now slowly making way for streetlights, and residential areas. “Yeah, I do.” He mutters quietly, almost more to himself than to you.

“Why though?”

“I have my reasons Y/N.”   
And with that, it’s clear as day that the conversation is over. You reach forwards and turn the stereo off, finding yourself liking the silence far more than talks of missing women.

Josh gnaws on his lower lip as he drives through town, frowning in deep concentration, almost as if he were trying to convince himself not to do what he was planning.   
Finally, he pulls off the main road, driving directly into a McDonalds drive thru. “Do you want anything?’

Your eyebrows disappear into your hairline in surprise, blinking rapidly at Josh. This was hardly what you were expecting out of your afternoon, that was for sure. “I, uh – I don’t have any cash on me?” You stammer out quietly.

“I didn’t ask if you had cash. I asked if you wanted anything, silly.” He’s chuckling now, all signs of anger and frustration he displayed before, melting away like ice over flame.

“Um, sure I guess. Large fries please?”

“Easy done.” He drives further through, stopping to place his order before proceeding to the cashier and collection points. “Here ya go.” He offers, once he’s holding the greasy brown paper bag, the smell of deep-fried _everything_ leaving the air in the car smelling stale.

“Thank you. I owe you one.” You smile, pulling your fries out of the bag, and cradling them in your lap protectively.

“Nah, don’t worry about it. Think of it as bribery, yeah?”

You pause, fry poised halfway to your mouth, and watching Josh from the corner of your eyes. “Bribery for what exactly?”

“There’s something I need you to do for me.” He begins, driving back the way you came. “And you seem like the kind of person who wants justice, and demands to know the truth… Am I right?”

You breathe in deeply, thinking back to the accident you had caused in the science labs. Everyone was so quick to point their fingers at you, shoving all the blame to you, though not _once_ did they ask to hear _your_ side of the story! “You’re right.”

He nods, smiling to himself in an almost wicked manner. “I thought so. Y/N, you and I are going to get along very well I think.”

You munch down on the fry you had held for the past few minutes now, frowning slightly at how cold it had grown out of the bag. “Let’s hope you’re right. I need more than one friend here.”

“And so far, who would you consider to be your one friend?”

You shrug lightly, popping another fry past your lips. “I suppose Sam. At least, I think she’s a friend?”

Josh nods again, pulling off the main road and travelling along a dirt path towards the forest. “Perfect, that’s exactly what we need.”

You frown deeply, eyes locking on the side of Josh’s face now. “What are you talking about? And where are you taking me?” Panic is beginning to settle in, as you find yourself being driven further and further away from any signs of people.

“Don’t worry! We just need to go somewhere to talk. Somewhere we don’t run the risk of anyone hearing us.”

You roll your eyes, huffing out a deep sigh. “You could’ve told me that. I would’ve invited you over to my place. No one is going to be home for hours.”

“Oh, well yeah… I didn’t know that. Now I look like a creep.” Josh half smirks, though shows no signs of changing his selected course.

There’s nothing left for you to do, but sit back and relax, watching out of the window as you pass by the dense covering of trees. You can’t help but wonder how often Josh comes out here, if this was a familiar area to him. He seemed to know the path you were driving well, though you suppose it could be coincidence.   
Finally, Josh pulls the car over in a clearing within the forest. It was a small, intimate area, which would probably make a nice setting for a camping trip with friends, if it weren’t still so close to town.  
“Here we are…”

You suck in your bottom lip, gnawing on it slightly between your teeth. He had promised he wasn’t going to hurt you, but something about this situation just felt _off.  
_ Just as Josh exits the Jeep, you do the same, closing the door behind you firmly. The locks click shut, and you move around to the front of the car to meet Josh, who was plucking a fry from the paper bag.   
“This is what I like to call, my plotting spot.” He begins, gesturing for you to follow him further into the clearing.

“And what exactly do you plot out here?” You follow closely behind him, kicking small stones and twigs out of your path with your toe.

He shrugs, before sitting down heavily on a fallen tree trunk, resting the greasy takeout bag between his feet on the forest floor. “I want to say revenge - But I’m not entirely sure if that’s the right word for it? Maybe it’s justice I’m looking for? Or the truth?”

His words draw you towards him, the edge of pain to his voice sending a pang of sympathy through your heart. “Justice for who?” You ask quietly, stepping closer until you too are sat on the tree trunk.

“My sisters, Hannah and Beth.” 

This was your chance, to ask the questions which had been burning on your tongue, from your first media lesson when you had heard your classmates mention those names! “What happened to them? Why do you need justice?”

Josh sucks in a deep breath, tilting his head down until his eyes are focused solely on his feet. “During winter break, _something_ happened to them at the lodge. An- and they’ve been missing ever since.”

You know there’s more to this story, there _has_ to be! Why else would Josh be so intent on finding out the truth. There’s something he’s not telling you, that’s for damned sure.  
“Something, or _someone_?” You pry, hoping that perhaps this was the lead you needed for him to tell you more.

At this, Josh laughs. It’s not a full laugh, nor one that resounds from deep within. If anything, it’s a hollow sound, though you suppose that it’s better than nothing. “You’re very quick to catch on, aren’t you? Beth would’ve loved you if she had gotten the chance to meet you!”

Turning on the tree trunk, you sit sideways so you can look at Josh fully now. Even if _he_ won’t tear his gaze away from his boots, the least you can do is give him your undivided attention. “The way you talk about her and Hannah - I assume the worst happened?”

Josh nods in affirmation, before turning to meet your gaze, unshed tears swimming in his pale green eyes. “The police searched everywhere. They were at the lodge for weeks, no one could come in or go out. They searched, and searched, and _searched_ … But there was nothing to be found.” He takes a deep breath in, reaching up and scrubbing his fists down his cheeks roughly. “They’re still calling it a disappearance, as if one day my sisters might suddenly just _pop up_ in the middle of, I don’t know, fucking _Brooklyn_ or some shit. But they’re not going to… I know that. Somehow, I know they’re not here anymore. You know? I can just feel it…”

You reach a hand out towards Josh, resting it against his thigh gently, hoping that even just the slightest touch may be enough to remind him you were here. “Do you know who hurt them?”

He turns to face away from you once again, staring dead ahead at a small bird which leapt experimentally from tree branch, to branch. “I have my theories, let’s just leave it at that for now.”

Your tongue darts out to wet your lips, as you turn your gaze to the same bird that Josh had found. “Who was up at the lodge with you?” You whisper, both to not spook Josh nor the bird.

“Me, Hannah, Beth, Sam, Mike, Emily, Jess, Ashley, Matt and Chris.”

Sighing sharply, you try your luck with another question, hoping it won’t be taking things too far. “What happened? As in, what do _you_ know happened. Not what any of them have said… I want your side of the story.”

Josh looks at you again, a small smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. “Are you always this inquisitive?”

“Pretty much, yes.”

“I don’t really remember much, which is part of the problem. Chris and I, we – we were passed out in the kitchen when things went down. I vaguely recall Beth trying to shake me awake, but I was too out of it.” Pain flashes through his eyes, and his irises grow dark at the memory of that evening. “All night we had been having a fun time, just being typical stupid kids, enjoying a break from school, and the freedom of having no parents around. I remember Mike being almost overly friendly towards Hannah all evening. And not just in the class president sort of way. He was wrapping his arm around he shoulders when we were sitting around talking. But Hannah, she was playing along, she had her arm around his waist.” He pauses, brows scrunching up in thought as he struggled to recall the events correctly. “It was so weird though, while they kept doing that, Emily was right here, watching all of it go down, but she never said _anything_! Which is so unlike Em, she’ll cause a scene _whenever_ possible! Instead, she just kept giggling with Jess.”

You pause, taking in his words, until they slowly begin to make sense to you. Were Jess and Emily plotting something against Hannah? Is that what happened here? You know how bitchy girls can be, but what on Earth had they done which had resulted in _both_ Hannah _and_ Beth going missing? “Do you remember anything much after that?” You press on, hoping maybe he did. Though you were sure he had gone through all of this multiple times with the police, _you_ weren’t going to dig up anything new.

Josh shakes his head no, rubbing one hand through his dark curls and tugging at the roots, almost as if he believed if he pulled hard enough, more answers would spring forth. “No, I don’t. All I remember was betting Chris that I could drink more than him…. Next thing I knew, I was being woken up by the police with my parents crying behind them.”

“Fucking hell. Josh, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” You whisper, pushing yourself closer to his side, where you wrap your arms around his shoulders.   
It’s an entirely one sided hug, but you pray that it helps him, even just a little bit. “What can I do to help? I want to help! I want to find out exactly what happened, and I want to help you get justice for Hannah and Beth.”

Finally, he turns to look down at you, wrapping one arm around your lower back, and pulling you tightly against him. “Thank you. I hoped you would.” He breathes deeply, the warm air tickling the tip of your ear.

“What do you need me to do?”

“You need to find out the truth. You’re already making friends with Sam. I need you to keep going. She knows more than she’s letting on, I just know it. The others won’t tell you anything. But Sam, she’ll spill anything if you’re on her good side, and ask her the right way.”

“Are you sure you want to know the truth Josh?”

“Yes. More than anything.”

**Author's Note:**

> I hoped you all liked that!  
> And remember, us authors thrive off of kudos and comments, so feel free to leave one of both? ❤❤❤


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